posted September 28, 2003 01:47 AM            

LIFE IS NOT A BUSINESS

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"Well, then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs...I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy! a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.

Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take siestas with your wife, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

posted December 20, 2003 04:42 AM            

jwhop, you mystify me sometimes.......

I mean...at the risk of mucking up such a happy thread with abit o controversy....
this seems to be mocking American variety Capitalism, something you are a great proponent of.... Just feeling like seeing oneself in a humorous light then?
Nothing wrong with that of course..it's healthy even.

posted December 21, 2003 02:08 AM            

I don't think capitalism is well understood by most people. Corporate America is NOT capitalism but rather Corporate America is part of the capitalist system, but only a part. There are more people working in the private business sector than in publicly traded corporations in America. In fact private businesses are the backbone of the capitalist system.

Something else to remember, for the most part those household names, corporate entities, started as an idea, either for a service or a product that didn't exist before, someone's dream and a very small business---in the beginning. These are interesting stories of how these household names started and they started small, very small.

Mattel http://www.fortune.com/fortune/smallbusiness/articles/0,15114,433766,00.html

Motorola http://www.fortune.com/fortune/smallbusiness/articles/0,15114,433810,00.html

Gillette http://www.fortune.com/fortune/smallbusiness/articles/0,15114,433734,00.html

There's room in the capitalist system for both, corporations and the small business or mom and pop operations that makes a living for the family. Not everyone wants to be a tycoon but that's still capitalism.

Notice the fisherman, he worked for himself, when he wanted, as long as he wanted and spent the rest of his time doing what he wanted. No one to tell him what to do, when to do it or how to do it. He succeeded or failed on his own efforts. He united his boat, (capital) with his labor to produce his living. Capitalism to the core, though it's not the image of capitalism that most people conjure up in their minds.

Nothing wrong with looking at one's self and having a good laugh once in a while